The Maple Leafs radio colour analyst tweeted his release on Wednesday via @Jim_Ralph, joking the dismissal was “jointly done by my new step parents (Bell and Rogers, owners of MLSE). Take pride being first guy fired by TSN and The Fan on same day.

“For the record, my firing was due to changes in my department. Nothing personal. I was just the only one in the department.”

The quick-witted former Leafs farm-team goalie and dinner speaker worked 16 years and 1,196 straight games, remarking that Toronto’s four-goal collapse against Boston in Game 7 last month was certainly a memorable exit from the booth he shared wuth Joe Bowen. On a team that had missed the playoffs seven straight years until now, Ralph made some long nights for listeners a lot more tolerable.

“I don’t harbour an ounce of bitterness,” he said in a later tweet. “I’m not the first to go through it. Others have had it worse.”

The direction radio will take for the Leafs has been murky since the merger of the two communications giants to buy MLSE. After the Leafs departed AM 640 in 2012, both Rogers and Bell wanted as many radio games as possible for their marquee sports property on their respective flagship stations, Fan 590 and TSN 1050. A request for comment by MLSE on Ralph’s departure was not returned.

MARLIES HUNT COACH

The Leafs intend to have Dallas Eakins’ replacement as head coach of the Marlies by the end of the month.

“We haven’t started the interview process,” general manager Dave Nonis said in an e-mail on Wednesday. “We’re formulating the list now. Hope to have something by the draft (June 30).”

Nonis will likely have candidates from inside and outside the organization. New Edmonton head coach Eakins was likely to retain Oiler assistants Steve Smith and Kelly Buchberger, but if there’s a change, one or both of Marlies assistants Gord Dineen or Derek King could join him. It’s expected the Marlies will first look for a young head coach.

Leafs analyst Jim Ralph knocked off the air

The Maple Leafs radio colour analyst tweeted his release on Wednesday via @Jim_Ralph, joking the dismissal was “jointly done by my new step parents (Bell and Rogers, owners of MLSE). Take pride being first guy fired by TSN and The Fan on same day.

“For the record, my firing was due to changes in my department. Nothing personal. I was just the only one in the department.”

The quick-witted former Leafs farm-team goalie and dinner speaker worked 16 years and 1,196 straight games, remarking that Toronto’s four-goal collapse against Boston in Game 7 last month was certainly a memorable exit from the booth he shared wuth Joe Bowen. On a team that had missed the playoffs seven straight years until now, Ralph made some long nights for listeners a lot more tolerable.

“I don’t harbour an ounce of bitterness,” he said in a later tweet. “I’m not the first to go through it. Others have had it worse.”